11 Secret Service employees infected with coronavirus; 60 in self-quarantine

Kevin Johnson and Michael Collins, USA TODAY

Saturday

May 9, 2020 at 7:01 PM

This content is being provided for free as a public service to our readers during the coronavirus outbreak. Please support local journalism by subscribing to the Northwest Florida Daily News.

At least 11 U.S. Secret Service employees were reported to be infected with the coronavirus and about 60 other staffers were in self-quarantine, a person familiar with the matter said Friday.

The person who is not authorized to comment publicly declined to breakdown the numbers of civilian versus agent infections. The assignment locations of the sick employees also were not identified.

The service, which provides personal protection for the president, vice president and their families, along with visiting heads of state, has 7,600 employees, including more than 3,000 agents who work in close proximity to those they protect.

The development, first disclosed by Yahoo News, comes as the pandemic has crept closer to the inner circle of the White House.

The revelations come after two White House employees tested positive for the virus this week.

A member of Vice President Mike Pence’s staff, press secretary Katie Miller, tested positive for coronavirus just as Pence was preparing to depart on a trip to Iowa Friday to promote efforts to reopen the economy, delaying takeoff for an hour.

On Thursday, the White House disclosed that a military valet to President Donald Trump also tested positive for the virus.

The developments involving the valet and Pence staffer prompted the White House to put in place additional protective measures.

Trump said White House aides will be tested for the virus daily instead of weekly. He said the valet was in the room with him on Tuesday, the day he began exhibiting symptoms, but that he did not recall any direct contact with him.

The president said he has been tested twice in recent days and that both tests came back negative.